The Karakoram mountains of Pakistan mark the western end of the greater Himalayan mountain chain and contain the greatest concentration of high peaks on earth as well as the largest expanse of glacial ice outside the polar regions. The winter snows from these mountains provide the meltwater for the mighty River Indus that cuts through the Karakoram from its source in Tibet.

The Karakoram is a mountain desert; a vast region of barren rock and ice, where jeep roads cut through valley systems to remote villages still many days walk from the high mountains.